ALTON ORGAN SOCIETY (Founded 1967) ♬♪𝄞 Updated Saturday 14 September 2024

Alton Organ Society's 2024/2025 Season of Organ Concert and
2024 Lunchtime Organ Concerts
Organ Recitals Nationwide

The final lunchtime organ concert at St Lawrence Church, Alton, GU34 2SN took place on Thursday 12 September 2024 featuring local organist Gerald Marlow. Gerald's varied and enjoyable programme highlighted the softer stops on the organ beautifully and the reeds (in tune!) using the trumpet, trombone and corno stops. The choice of composers/arrangers was popular with the 50+ audience who donated generously to help boost the organ restoration fund. The success of the lunchtime organ concerts (now in their sixth year) has brought organ music to a new audience many of whom travelled far and wide to hear Alton's local organists. We hope that their new interest may prevail and that they may attend concerts given by national and international organists who feature in the new season of organ concerts that start 1st October 2024.

Lunchtime organ concerts are free with a retiring voluntary donation towards the organ restoration fund.

We look forward to the opening concert of the 2024/2025 Season of Organ Concerts to be given by Martin Baker, Concert Organist and Society Patron. Details of Martin's programme are to follow. Before the concert, the Society will host a reception for attendees from 7.15 pm in which drinks and canapés will be available. This concert is in memory of Peter Ashworth, former Chairman of the Society and joint founder in 1967. Programmes are starting to arrive!

The 2024/2025 Season of Organ Concerts have now been confirmed and details are here. If you wish to apply for Season Membership at £60 (equivalent to £7.50 for each of the eight concerts) click here to download an application form..

David Hill MBE organist and International Choral Director, Patron of the Alton Organ Society and currently President of the Royal College of Organists very kindly recorded a CD on the St Lawrence Church, Alton, organ to celebrate 55 years of the Organ Society and to raise funds for the restoration of the Speechly organ. The music was recorded by Herald AV Publications, a specialist recording company, in October 2022. The CD was launched at St Lawrence Church, Alton on Tuesday 4 October 2022. The CD costs £15 of which £3.00 of the purchase price will go towards the organ restoration fund. David's CD was reviewed by Choir & Organ Magazine and copies of that review and Graeme Kay's article on the Society can be seen here. The CD can be purchased from members of the Society Committee, from Resurrection Furniture in Alton and at the Society's Organ Concerts. For further details and purchase of a CD do use the contact page here.

There is a new website that lists national organ concerts (including those held in Alton) and can be viewed here. Please list altonorgansociety.co.uk & Organ Recitals Nationwide among your favourites.